Sunday, July 28, 2018
We began our adventure at 7:30 am on Sunday morning 7/28/19 in front of our hotel. Our tour guide, Sentil Natarajan, the owner of Happy NZ Tours, arrived to pick us up at our hotel right on time and loaded our belongings into his comfortable van. We had plenty of room to spread out since no one else was on our tour. I took the back row entirely to myself and spread out and Rebekah took the middle row.
Sentil who told us to call him Sen, is originally from India. He loves to travel and loves New Zealand and so his company and his tours are about his passion. He told us it would take about five hours to get to Whakapapa Ski Field and that before the day would end, we would get our ski equipment and clothing and lift tickets in advance. He also told us he had planned some sight seeing on our trip. We had no idea then how delightful the day Sen had planned for us would be!
We began our drive and headed south. Sen told us a bit about the area we were going to as he drove. We learned that the further south we would go, the colder the weather would become. We passed Hamilton and stopped at River Haven Cafe in Huntley. We had a nice meal. (I think I had my vert first savory muffin).
At the souvenir shop I bought myself a wonderful pair of fingerless gloves! Those gloves I discovered have come in so handy when I want to use my phone, but I can keep my hands warm. (Rebekah thinks these gloves may be unique to New Zealand.)
Our next stop was in Tirau, a small town that is the site of the original Merino wool shop which is a shop inside a gigantic sheep! We stretched our legs and did some walking around and looked at the gift shop, and then went to a local coffee house called The Baker. Rebekah had something to eat there and I had some more coffee. I usually don't drink coffee with caffeine, but decided to on this trip because the coffee in New Zealand is so good. Also, I wanted to be awake and alert since I was so excited about our trip.
After Tirau we were treated to something totally unexpected: Huka Falls! At first, we thought we were just stopping for a photo of what was the most beautifully colored water we ever saw, but Sen actually drove us down to the visitors area. Rebekah was so excited and started hiking up the trails around the falls and I headed off on my scooter.
Rebekah and I connected and took some photos and then the two of us just seemed to get carried away with the beauty around us and headed up the trails. It was hard to turn around since the area and trail was so beautiful, but eventually I scootered back while Rebekah continued to hike a bit more.
Once we all ended up back at the visitors center and used the pay bathrooms (50 cents to use) we continued our journey but took more photos before we left. Sen bought each one of us the most beautiful bookmarks that showed the area we were headed to, Tongario National Park.
We arrived in Taupo a little after 2:00 pm and had a wonderful lunch at a restaurant called Indian Delight. Rebekah and I shared a Chana Masala meal that included rice and the most delicious naan bread. We then walked around the town and did a bit of window shopping and then we went to a shop to purchase our ski passes and lessons.
Finally, we returned to the van and went on the next leg of our trip to Tarangi. That part of the trip was particularly beautiful since we drove along Lake Taupo. It was the most beautiful lake ever!
Finally we arrived in Tarangi and went to the Tarangi Ski rental shop where we picked up Rebekah's skis, boots, poles, ski pants and ski jacket, and goggles. It was the cutest place and talking to Wendy the owner of the shop was so fun.
Finally, we headed to our motel, the Parklands Motor Lodge. Our room, Room 4, was such a cute motel lodging! It had a fully equipped kitchen and a separate bedroom with a full size bed, a living area and even two more twin beds in the living room area. Of course there was a television.
We settled into our room a bit, and then we headed to the Tokaanu Mineral Pools. Sen had put that on our tour itinerary as optional, but when Rebekah noticed that we arrived in Tarangi so early she asked Sen if we could go to the mineral pools. We just weren't ready to settle in for the night and the hotel manager suggested we reserve a private bath. That was absolutely the best idea!
Rebekah and I got a private room which included a private bath with "Magic Mineral Water." We had to soak in a private mineral pool since we both forgot our bathing suits. Our private pool felt like a hot tub. We were limited, for safety, to only twenty minutes in the hot pool, but that was plenty of time. The two of us just loved the experience! Before we left, we got to take a look at the public pool which was not as hot, but we could tell was really nice and also therapeutic.
We were in such a great mood and worked up a bit of an appetite after soaking in the private pool, so Sen took us back to Tarangi where we stopped at the New World grocery store and bought food to take back to our motel so we could make dinner in our room.
Rebekah and I put together a wonderful dinner that included salad and soup and rolls. Sen even bought us some local chocolate which made a great desert. After the meal, we both enjoyed the hot tea that was provided by the hotel and we watched some television and eventually went to bed. We were so excited about the day of skiing that was in store!
Monday, July 29, 2019
I woke up a little after 5:00 am and called my husband Dan in Colorado and texted my son Joel who is in Mexico. Then, I got dressed and took my time showering and preparing for the day and then I woke up Rebekah at little before 7:00 am and made her some coffee in the french press that was provided in our room.
There was time for me to ride my scooter around the motel's grounds which had a campground type feel. I returned back to our cute little motel room and packed up the last of our stuff and waited for Sen to pick us up at 8:00 am.
It didn't take long to load up the van and return the room key and off we went. It was a beautiful drive. We went through Tangario State Park and Sen stopped for us to take more scenic photos. Sen made a second stop and showed us the red rocks and the vegetation that grows in a volcano area.
We finally arrived at Whakapapa Village and drove up further on the mountain to Mt. Ruapeho Ski Field. Wow...we were excited!
Rebekah put on her ski clothes and ski boots in the van and headed towards the rental shop to get the helmet that had been reserved for her there. We then had some coffee together and off she went to ski.
Sen took me to the lesson area which was in a different building and we got me my ski clothes which included gloves and goggles for me to keep. Sen got me my boots and then we got my skis and poles. Once Sen helped me lock my valuables in a locker, we headed to the lesson area and I checked in. Sen took some photos of me and then headed off to the restaurant area near the ski rental area.
I was placed in "Level 3" which was sort of like an intermediate skier class. I have not participated in a ski lesson since I was 20 years old, so it was fun to get some pointers on turns from our instructor who I think name was Will. The class had about ten people in it and it was nice to get to know some of the other skiers in the class.
The class was from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. After the class concluded, I stopped at the shop near the ski rental place to check out the merchandise, and then I went up the mountain. It was fun to ski up there and the terrain was much more difficult than the area where the lessons were. I did about two or three runs after riding up the Rangatira Express and then I decided to be brave and take the gondola up higher.
I saw a T-Bar lift when I exited the Gondola and since I love surface lifts I decided to go up further. Well, that T-Bar was the hardest T-Bar ever! I held on for "dear life!" I also made the mistake of getting off the T-Bar just a bit too early and a young couple helped me get to the top and suggested I go right, and so I began to ski down.
I did pretty well until I fell and couldn't get up so I had to take off my skis and then walk up a hill to the top of the gondola lift where I linked up with Rebekah. The two of shared some coffee and a snack and then we decided to take the Delta Chair Lift up and do what we hoped was an easy run together.
That last ride up was so foggy, but when we got to the top, Rebekah asked for the easiest way to get to the Gondola. I am glad she asked. It was wonderful skiing with Rebekah! If I'd gone up there alone I'm sure I would have got lost.
When we finished our run, the two of us rode the Gondola down the mountain together and reached the bottom just before 4 pm. Rebekah debated about getting on the lift again quickly, but decided it ww time to go.
We linked up with Sen and he helped me return my equipment while Rebekah headed towards his van after returning her helmet to the rental area.
It was about 5:00 pm when we began our ride down the mountain. We had to get to Turangi before 6 pm to return Rebekah's skis, boots, poles, goggles, and ski clothes. It was a pleasant drive and we did make it back to Turangi Ski Shop in time, around 5:30 pm.
The drive to Auckland was a long one. Rebekah and I both fell asleep for much of the trip. We were delighted when Sen suggested eating out at a place where we could get vegan hamburgers.in Hamilton called GONE BURGER.'
We still had almost two hours to go after eating in Hamilton, and both of us did sleep a bit as Sen drove. I think we finally arrived at our hotel, the Grand Mercure in Auckland, at around 11 pm.
Sen unloaded the van for us and we said our good-byes.
What a day! What a most incredibly wonderful tour experience!
Thank you Sen and thank you Happy NZ Tours!
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| Sen, Rebekah, and JO ANN |
Sen and Happy NZ Tours was the best. He made sure we were happy. In fact, Sen made us more than happy. He took care of every one of our needs and wants. If we needed to stop to use the restroom, he made that happen. If we wanted to look around an area longer than planned, he let us take our time. He went out of his way to get us the food we wanted to eat. He took photos for us and gave us little gifts such as New Zealand chocolate and small souvenirs. He stopped the van when there were opportunities for photo opportunities. His entire goal was to give us the most wonderful and personal experience possible, and he did just that. He customized our tour experience to suit our needs. It was more than FABULOUS!
If I ever return to New Zealand, I will make sure to book with Happy NZ Tours. Thank you Sen and thank you Happy NZ Tours for helping make our dreams happen!
Below are more photos from our wonderful trip!
